The railroad also saw profit drop 5% in the three-month period ended Sept. 30 as lower fuel surcharges and negative business mix also pressured results.

Union Pacific said total volume dropped 6% in the third quarter as power plants switched from coal to natural gas and as metal, including materials for energy drilling, declined. China’s downturn also damped the Asian nation’s once-ravenous demand for resources.

As volumes drop, the Omaha, Neb.-based railroad has responded by furloughing hundreds of employees and storing away locomotives in an attempt to cut costs. On Thursday, Union Pacific said it had reached a record quarterly operating ratio of 60.3%.

Overall, Union Pacific posted a profit of $1.3 billion, or $1.50 a share, down from $1.37 billion, or $1.53 a share, a year earlier. Revenue dropped 10% to $5.56 billion.

Across the sector, total carloads for the week ended Oct. 17 were 279,547, down 5.9% compared with the same week last year, according to the latest data from the Association of American Railroads.

Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2014 included metallic ores and metals, down 21% to 21,486 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 14% to 13,772 carloads; and coal, down 13% to 95,822 carloads.

Recent trends are a sharp turnaround from last year, when Union Pacific’s volume demand jumped 7%, prompting the railroad to increase its train, engine and yard workforce by about 10% to 18,000 employees and add 822 locomotives.